Base of Operations: Unrevealed; formerly served on the Isle of Na'at; formerly mobile across various oceans

First Appearance:
Marvel Graphic Novel:
Conan of the Isles (1988)

Powers/Abilities: An experienced seaman and pirate, Yakov was a highly skilled archer.

Like most people of his era, he believed the world was flat, and that
if one sailed too far, one might fall off the edge of the world.

Height: Unrevealed (there is little reference against anyone of known height; he seemed average, so perhaps 5'10")Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 190 lbs.)Eyes: Unrevealed (only shown up close in black and white comics, where they often look dark; I'd guess brown)Hair: Dark gray; balding on top, with a mustache

History: (Marvel
Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles - BTS) - Instructed by the Mitraic
priest Epimetrius the Sage to travel
to the uttermost reaches
of the Western Ocean to save the rest of the world from the threat of
"red shadows" (sent by the priests of Ptahuacan) that were abducting and
or slaying his people, Conan traveled to Argos and received finances to purchase a ship from Argossean king Ariostro (whose people had been similarly plagued by the "red shadow").

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles - BTS) - In
Tortage, stronghold of the Barachan pirates, Conan recruited his crew
for his new ship, the Red Lion. Yakov presumably observed as Conan slew
Captain Alvaro when he tried to force Conan's departure.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan
of the Isles - BTS) - Three dawns at sea later, the Red Lion and its crew were assaulted by a black kraken (either under control
of the priests of Ptahuacan or just preying on those who traveled in
that direction). At least three crewmen perished before Conan blinded the creature, enabling the Red Lion to escape it.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles) - After
a long time heading west, they caught up to a green dragon-prowed galley ship
with a black kraken painted on its bow. At Conan's orders, the Red
Dragon caught up to the ship; though its decks seemed bare, Conan
ordered his archers to unleash a volley of arrows to find out if this
was true; he figured by chance some of the arrows would struck a few
rowers who might be hidden behind the rail. After the regular arrows
thudded home on the manless deck and none of the oars missed a beat.

(Marvel
Graphic Novel: Conan
of the Isles) - After Yakov had his archers launch the flaming arrows,
and as smoke began to rise from a dozen spots, a green-feathered priest
of Xotli -- the ship's sole occupant -- emerged and magically
extinguished the arrows. As Conan gave the order for Yakov to "give the
dog more feathers" (arrows), the priest cast a vial into the water
that seemed to produce a seething fire between the two ships, but Conan
shrewdly ordered the Red Lion head straight into the fire, proving it
to be merely illusion, after which it vanished (and Yakov remarked, "And now -- the whole thing is gone").

When the priest unleashed the red shadows, Conan commanded Yakov and
his men to skewer the sorcerer; Yakov responded, "aye, aye" and, though
the sorcerer could turn away the arrows with gestures of his hands,
enough arrows were fired that one struck him through his left hand.
After the priest magically vanished beneath the deck, Conan led his men
to board the green galley. The priest reappeared in armor and summoned
a number of duplicates of himself, but Conan and his men assaulted the
duplicates until Conan slew the original, causing them all to vanish.

(Marvel
Graphic Novel: Conan
of the Isles) - After seemingly endless days' travel, they finally
sighted land, only to be
confronted by a dragon-like ship. Though they set fire to the first ship via their catapult, a second ship caught them unaware. Wearing air helmets, the Ptahuacans
assaulted the Red Lion's crew with gas that knocked out most of the
men; ultimately, Conan stole an air helmet and dove
overboard to escape, hoping to later rescue his crew.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles - BTS) - The Ptahuacans brought the unconscious crewmen into their ship, bound them in an unbreakable
glass-like chains and imprisoned below the deck, and they towed the Red Lion back to Ptahuacan.

(Marvel
Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles - BTS) - Awakening, the captured crew
was disappointed to not find Conan by their side. Sigurd
encouraged his men
that they still lived, which gave them the chance to
fight their way to freedom. After arriving at Ptahuacan, however, the
crew found their "glass" chain bonds to be unbreakable. Two of the
crewmen perished from untreated wounds.

Eventually the guards herded the prisoners to join a line stretching up
the steps of a Zikkurat where those at the front were sacrificed by the
priests.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles) - Conan released the
dragon-creatures from within/under the Zikkurat into the city, and the crewmen took advantage of the guards'
shock, battering them.

(Marvel
Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles - BTS) - Using a "glass" sword he had taken from a guard, Conan cut the
chains holding his former crewmen.

As the Ptahuacan's revolted, Conan and his crew stole a golden
Ptahuacan dragon ship, "The Winged Dragon," and departed for new
adventures.

(Conan
the Savage#10 (fb) - BTS) - After many days of sailing farther west,
many of the crew despaired. Milo and Yakov fed the fears and
discontents of "the scurvier crewmen" that they were going to sail off
the world's edge.

(Conan
the Savage#10) - Milo accompanied Yakov, who spoke for the crewmen in
favor of turning back and heading for Argos while they still could.
After Conan explained they could not make it that far, Milo suggested
they could turn back to Antillia. Arguing that the new rebel leaders of
Antillia might consider them threats and imprison them, Conan ordered
everyone back to work. Yakov swiftly fired an arrow at Conan, who
dodged and then grabbed Milo by the face and shoved him down to the
deck. As Milo drew his sword, Yasunga
jabbed Milo in the neck with his spear, forcing him to stand down.

Appreciating they were already short-handed, Conan gave Milo and Yakov a second
chance
-- rather than walking the plank -- if they swore renewed loyalty,
which they did. Yakov added, "From here on, we'll work like the very devil was on our tail!"

Almost immediately thereafter, they were struck by a powerful storm,
during which Yasunga was thrown overboard while saving a young seaman
from that same fate. Conan rallied the crew to weather the storm.

(Conan the Savage#10 (fb) - BTS) - For two more days, the Winged Dragon was buffeted by the mad tempest.

(Conan
the Savage#10) - When the storm ceased, there was no wind whatsoever to
fill the sails, nor was there any land visible. However, they found
they were apparently being pulled along
by a stream of dark waters. Conan initially encouraged the men to row
to speed
them along to their destination, but after the river had become so wide
that only the air on their faces told them they were still moving,
Conan advised they all just wait and see what happened.

(Conan
the Savage#10 - BTS) - Eventually, the Winged Dragon crashed a few days later again the
the rocky cliffs of the Isle of Na'at. Only Conan and Sigurd survived.

(Conan the Savage#10) - Most others, presumably including Milo, were revived as zombies by Vacharn as his servants.

(Conan
the Savage#10) - That evening, Milo was presumably among the undead crewmen
present at Vacharn's dinner, when Sigurd was brought in and bled dry by
the demon-familiar Esrit as Conan sought mystically immobilized. After
Conan broke free and attacked Vacharn, the necromancer forced the
undead servants to batter Conan unconscious and throw him in a cell.

(Conan
the Savage#10 - BTS) - In
the evening, the servants rested in stone coffins, brought forth in
daily resurrection to do the tasks ordained by their master,
perhaps tending his gardens, tending his livestock, or diving for
pearls.

(Conan
the Savage#10 - BTS) - Nearly a month later, after Conan had slain Vacharn,
his sons, and Esrit, Conan found the now-masterless undead army
followed his orders.

Conan had the undead servants build a funeral pyre to ensure the destruction of Vacharn and his
sons. Needing a small crew to help guide a boat to the mainland, Conan
nonetheless preferred they not be those he brought to this accursed
island.

(Conan
the Savage#10) -Cona therefore ordered his former crew into the fire as well.